I had to stop reading for a while or nothing else will be accomplished today. I'm trying to discipline myself to reading no more than 2 months worth of posts in any one sitting. That's not so easy especially when Loretta writes about things I want to explore in greater depth. I can do this slowly, exploring all her sources and insights and working through my own stuff as I go, or I can read through as quickly as I can then go back and savour her writing. I'm trying to do the latter. I found I could relate to something in every post. That has never happened before.

Loretta is an artist and made up this button for Happy Bloggers. I've put it on my sidebar to remind me to stay positive and let Joy flow. There are always hard days, some more so than others and I'll be honest about them. But I want to keep my attitude right. I don't want to be a mumbler and complainer.

Years ago, when I was a young Christian I wondered a lot about Joy. The Bible talks about Joy bubbling up inside like an ever flowing fountain. I wanted so much to experience this.

One day I was journalling and crying out for this quality in my life. Gradually I began to understand that Joy is a growing thing.

Understanding began that Joy is unlikely to endure let alone grow, unless I worked at caring for it.

One day, many years later I had a special experience and uncontrollable laughter bubbled up from within. My heart sang with joy. My whole being was engulfed. I was in cloud No. 9.

Then I discovered a quieter joy, one that gently flowed throughout all of life's experiences, activities.

I can't explain it better than to say there is a real need in my life to nurture the joy because it remains a tender plant, withering all too quickly when not watered and fed.

The Joy of the Lord is My Strength.Joy is my peace,My sustenanceWhat keeps me going,Prevents me from falling into deep depression,Deep sorrow,Deep despair.

I'm not a Happy Clappy Christian or Blogger. I know the pain of heartbreak, disappointment and grief. I know the pain of dreams that don't work out. I know how hard it is to find Joy in the midst of devastation. It's not called a Sacrifice of Praise for nothing.

More than anything I know choosing to keep the Joy alive in me is the most precious gift I make to myself.

So I happily embrace the thought of being a Happy Blogger and may that button always remind me of this as I wrote.

I want to write today about another quote from Loretta's Journal about maintaining a Low Carb lifestyle.

I feel like I have been on a treasure hunt all my life, and finally...at LAST, have found the treasure...the last piece to a puzzle. The last few years I have been consciously trying to make real, lasting changes.

I want to hang on to this because until I discovered a Low Carb eating plan I had no hope of being healthy, physically or mentally. I have no idea why but there is something in the 'normal diet' that poisons me. When I look at the traditional food pyramid I feel angry, sick in my heart because I know I cannot eat that way and be happy and healthy. Had I discovered the Low Carb lifestyle 35 years ago I would have saved myself so much grief, physical pain, excess weight and general unwellness. Instead I plodded on doing the best I knew, yet knowing that somehow I was poisoning my body. My body was sick, crying out for change but I didn't know what to do to make it better.

Writing this makes me want to cry. It's sad. My husband would have enjoyed a better marriage. Our children would have had a much better childhood if I'd known what I know now. I know the pain of lost years. But I cannot turn the clock back. What is gone stays there.

Finding out about the Low Carb Lifestyle has changed my life. The benefits for me go way beyond anything the promoters could have said. The hard part for me has been accepting that I need to be consistent, I need to be single minded and I need to believe in myself on this.

There is still too much criticism of the Low Carb eating style, calling it a 'Diet that cannot work long term.' I would listen and at various times let the doubters overwhelm me. I have decided that this will never happen again. I fall down often, over-eating Carbohydrates, but that is becoming less frequent. I am learning to make this way of eating my way of eating. I too have found my treasure, the thing I've been hunting for, the one thing that makes it possible for me to have a healthy life and lose weight permanently.

I have faith in calorie counting, WW program and many other excellent helps to weight loss and improved health but for me the Low Carb Lifestyle is the right one.

5 comments:

I en-JOY-ed your blog today! Joy is not so different from love. Both need to be nourished to grow, and shouldn't be taken for granted, right? We've been to beautiful NZ. A month wasn't long enough, as it turned out. Such natural beauty in so compact a space, and people as interesting and friendly as one will ever find - how blessed you are to call it home! Anyway, I really enjoyed your uplifting blog entry, and your sense of humor on your blog sight too. (Ancient indeed, very funny!) I wish you much joy. As the Chinese proverb goes, "One joy scatters a hundred grieves."

Have you caught the LOW CARB cooking show on Fit TV called "Blaine's Low Carb Kitchen" (starring chef Blaine Jelus)? He started the show weighing over 300 lbs. Every week, he demonstrates a variety (3-4 dishes) of low carb recipes. Then, at the end of the show, he gets on the scale and we can see what (if any) weight loss he had that week. The last time I caught it, he had lost more than 60 lbs. I think the show is in reruns now. I'm not a low-carb eater myself (though had some good success with it years ago). These days, I am doing my own thing, sticking to low fat and low glycemic index foods. I think there is a diet out there for every body, and no two bodies are the same! Congratulations on finding what works best for you!! It will be fun to watch your progress and to cheer you on!!

I liked your description of Joy as a plant that needs nurturing, and able to grow large and strong, rooted, and welcoming others...

I appreciate having found low carb, too. And I am like you, in that I dearly wish I had found it sooner. I did what the so-called experts told me to do, and only got sicker and bigger. So I am VERY thankful to have found that it works for me.

Funny thing, even with low carb we need to tailor it to each of us. I tried and tried to learn to count carbs... drove myself bananas!! I finally learned that for me, it works so much better to make all my choices from low carb foods, and then count calories. Because some of the low carb community mistakenly promote that you can eat all you want as long as it is low carb! Not this girl!

I'm happy you are finding things of use from my blog... freely I have received, so freely I give. With joy!

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About Me

I am in my 78th year and live in New Zealand. In 2013 my husband, John, and I spent our 50th Wedding Anniversary in Hawaii. We have a major trip to North America planned for 2018
I have a long history of losing and gaining weight. I first began keeping an on-line journal around 2000 as a way to record my weight loss and quest for better health.
We moved to Christchurch in December 2015 to be near our only Grandchild. Ava -Jane is a wonderful gift to our family.
Life is full of the unexpected.
I am all about having some fun times this year.

THE WILL OF GOD

The Will of God will never take youWhere the Grace of God cannot keep you,Where the Arms of God cannot support you,Where the Riches of God cannot supply your needs.Where the Power of God cannot endow you.

The Will of God will never take youWhere the Spirit of God cannot work through you,Where the Wide of God cannot teach you,Where the Army of God cannot protect you,Where the Hands of God cannot mold you.

The Will of God will never take youWhere the Love of God cannot enfold you,Where the Mercies of God cannot sustain you,Where the Peace of God cannot calm your fears,Where the Authority of God cannot overrule you.

The Will of God will never take youWhere the Comfort of God cannot dry your tears,Where the Word of God cannot feed you,Where the Miracles of God cannot be done for you,Where the Omnipresence of God cannot find you.